Alexander the Great- A Biography.

[amirsan]

This was orginially posted in my favorite forums here;
http://www.zerogamersmedia.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=78&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

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The historical life of the legend named Alexander III, or otherwise known as Alexander the Great, began in the Macedonian capitol of Pella, 356 B.C. He has left a milestone of genius, mankind, and the way we live for centuries ahead. Born with the royal blood of King Philip II and Queen Olympias, Alexander moved up above all the rest only to become the greatest ruler in the history of the world.

His childhood is filled with many stories, though one strikes the mind of many historians, it is that of him and his beloved horse, Bucephalus. Even as a boy, Alexander was fearless and strong. When his father took him to a horse range to purchase a horse, Alexander pointed out to this horse. Though as this horse was known for its berserk movements and disability to be rode by anyone, Alexander remarked to his father, “I can ride the horse better than anybody!” He bet with his father a large amount of money for a boy of his age that he can ride the horse, and so he approached the horse fearlessly and realized it was afraid of its own shadow. He remarkably rose up and on Bucephalus and began to ride it.

As Alexander grew up, his parents began deciding his future and how he shall be taught. They spared the option of public schooling and decided Alexander needed the best tutor in all the lands, and that man was Aristotle. Plato also taught this widely known philosopher and teacher of Hellenistic Greece. A line of knowledge was dripping into Alexander as he became more intelligent day by day. Alexander showed an interest in many different subjects such as politics, nations of the world, science, medicine, philosophy and more.

Like many in the 21st century today, Alexander faced many problems growing up between the heat and fire of his mother and father. His mother, Olympias, has grown overly tired of King Philip’s drunken rages and bad habits. Olympias continued to try to pull Alexander away from his father overseeing the fact that Phillip was also a great military strategist and military teacher of Alexander. This has put a deep strain on the relationship between Phillip and Olympias. When King Phillip found a new wife, supposedly named Cleopatra, a child was born, threatening he hierarchy of Alexander. After siding with his mother, Philip took the hierarchy away from Alexander, though made no difference since Alexander the Great became the king of Macedon soon after his death by Princess Olympias. Though the death of one king leaves the door for another, as that other would be Alexander the Great.

 

[amirsan]

Aside from Alexander’s skill on the battlefield left a large trait to empire building, and that is leadership. He was not only known for never being defeated in a battle, but for the way he ran his empire, and made the people below him respect him with pride.

Before his father’s death, he was appointed many leadership responsibilities while Philip went off to tend to more pressing matters. At one point he became the governor of Athens* while his father quelled a rebellion. Man became familiar with this face and name. After King Philip united all the Greek city states under wreckage of the pervious Peloponnesian War, Phillip made plans for invading the Empire of Persia to the east of them. They were known as a common enemy of Macedonia and Greece when they were forced in a humiliating treaty of peace. King Philip aspired for vengeance, though did not take the pride before his death. Alexander soon then fulfilled the hierarchy and the position to kill the Persian king, Darius and seek revenge.

Though before actions to invade the Asia Minor where taken, Alexander needed to tend the issues of the inner kingdom. Major rebellions spread to Thebes and Athens. Alexander needed to regain control of the Greek City states, so he gathered a large force of his prized military troops and stormed the city of Thebes with full force burning it to the ground except the temples and the house of the poet Pindar. About 30,000 inhabitants were sold into slavery. Alexander's action broke the spirit of rebellion in the other Greek states.

As Alexander quickly rose to power, his need to end the domestic threats around Greece rose as well. Since Macedonia and Greece are very close, they shared many common enemies that of which are the Thracians and the Illyrians. In 335BC, as the general of Greece against the Persians, he carried out a successful campaign against the Thracians, breaching the Danube River, which was originally the plan of his father. On his return, before the week ended, he massacred the Illyrians who of which invaded Macedonia years ago. Many respected him as their great savior, others of one as a conqueror, though none spoke to their word because they knew if they spoken wrong towards Alexander, the same as what happened to Thebes would happen to them. He became the true king of the Greek crown.

 

[amirsan]

Alexander’s fame and history was not only remembered because of his way of leadership, but his immense brilliance in the way he managed troops on the battlefield. Macedonians and Greeks together longed for a time of revenge on the Persian Empire. His son, Alexander the Great, would carry on this plan, thought out by his father.

The Persian Empire extended as far from the city of modern Istanbul to the tips of Egypt and the border of India of the east. This vast empire was the largest and most powerful of the time, soon to be conquered by Alexander. With an army of 35,000 Macedonian and Greek troops, he took the first step at the crossing of Hellespont, no so far of the first battle at the river of Granicus where he faced a Persian Army of 40,000 men. He boldly crossed the river undetected and surprise attacked the Persian army from the east granting the first of many won battles of Alexander losing only, according to tradition, 110 men.

The victory at Granicus point gave him most of Asia minor to himself, leaving the next option, Egypt. He traveled to old empire of Egypt down modern day, Syria and Israel. Facing many battles, big and small, thus capturing the wife, mother and children of Darius, he reached the ‘Golden Empire’ where he was acknowledged as a deliverer or a ‘God’. Many loved his presence and worshipped him as a savior, since they never liked the oppressive Persian governors. There he built the city of Alexandria of which until now has become the cultural and scientific center of the world. His Empire now extended to Egypt, facing Persia as a large threat.

As Alexander left Egypt in search of the Persian King, Darius and the rest of the empire ahead, Darius II gathered an enormous army of heavy cavalry of the Iranian steppe, and many chariots with scythe like knives protruding from the wheels between the villages of Gaugamela and Arbela. The Persian army greatly outnumbered Alexander’s army, but Alexander's tactics and the training of his troops proved superior in battle. King Darius fled as Alexander easily captured the ancient city of Babylon and then the Persian capitol of Susa.

In the spring of 330 B.C., Alexander shifted north toward Media beside the Caspian Sea to find Darius. The Persian king could not gather enough troops to fight Alexander, and so his own nobles killed him. The death of Darius left Alexander king of Asia.

 

[amirsan]

Alexander’s personality and character left a large trademark on men who studied him in the Ancient and even Modern times. His way of life, interests and character made him an icon of the centuries after his death and a prominent individual in history.

Alexander was more of a child throughout most of his life. He had an excellent sense of humor that usually helped him win the favor of his troops.

His physical description proves that he had a strong and athletic build, though was shorter than the typical Macedonian. He was once said to be a very handsome man with fair skin and gray eyes. While in battle he would wait brightly shining armor two large white plumes in his hat so his troops and enemies would know who he was. When not on the battlefield, most would see him in Persian clothes around his late twenties and early thirties. His silk Persian clothing be composed of a long robe, cape, sash and headband in the royal purple and white colors. This was actually the style then for men and women alike.

He loved many of the culture in his time such as drama, music, and poetry and overly loved, wine. Everyone cherished wines at the time just like today. There was one day, when in a drunken rage, that he murdered his friend, Clitus. He was also said to be a quality Olympic runner, though refused to run unless he was competing against another king or person of high honor.

There was a time in his life when he went to the city of Delphi in Greece. There he met an oracle, where he sat and talked to her, she told him he was ‘invincible’. Alexander believed this as it was also said by his mother, that he was a ‘son of the gods’. These comments proved it when he was in battle.

While in battle, he was always in the front line, but how did he survive? He survived numerous minor and even serious wounds and illnesses nevertheless the technology of the time, which was very backwards in medicine. In a battle against the Malians, an arrow quickly pierced his lungs. Everyone thought he was killed, though surprisingly, he was not. Alexander made it through with a splintered rib and a torn lung. Although this was not the only time this remarkable man was struck in battle; while invading Samarkand, an arrow split his leg bone making it impossible for him to ride back. With Alexander immobile, his cavalry got the honor to ride him back when the battle was won. His infantry was jealous though, so Alexander let each unit to hold him.

 

[amirsan]

Though there was one illness that precluded his power to survive. This illness was malaria, an illness until now that kills millions around the world, an illness that killed a legend, a god.

After invading India in modern day Pakistan, Alexander’s empire has stretched to the farthest extent of that time. It extended from modern day Macedonia, to modern day Pakistan, Egypt and Kuwait. At that time, his army was tired, and unwilling to continue fighting. Alexander agreed and decided to turn back. He has achieved his goal to unite the east and west through conquering and territory, but has not accomplished the goal to unite east and west culturally. He traveled back to Babylon, or modern day Iraq and changed his empire’s capitol to the city of Babylon.

Though on the way back, he has encountered the illness of Malaria, in which he carried with him to Babylon. There he began the administration of his empire. He required several provinces to worship him as a god. Many began to dislike him, especially the Macedonians for adopting Persian style. Though after all this, Alexander still maintained his power, just until it was all taken away…

On June 10th, 323BC, Alexander the Great died in his deathbed. Many mourned his death nevertheless the frowning upon him. They honored their great leader. After Alexander’s death, no one could have maintained the empire together; it was split up into separate factions governed by former generals. Alexander’s great empire ended after his death, though his legacy lived on.

Alexander the Great changed the world with through his organization skill, strategic and tactical innovations, and personal bravery. He has spread the Greek culture throughout vast lands and nearly united east and west under one culture. Alexander build more than 80 cities, twenty of them becoming cultural and scientific centers of the world, mostly named Alexandria. This remarkable, bold, intellectual genius paved the groundwork for empire building from that time, the Romans, to modern times of Napoleon and even Hitler. There was no man like, Alexander the Great.

 

[Stefan Haertel]

No offense to the author, but I completely disagree with this biography for several reasons.
It lacks some essential elements. There is no mention of Hephaistion in this biography. I figure there are several possible reasons for that. It could be that the source for this biography was totally ignorant of Hephaistion (or Hephaestion). In that case, sorry, it is a bad source. It could also be that the author of this biography was very well aware of Hephaistion, but did not feel that he was such an important person to include. Alright, I have read a number of books where Hephaistion is perhaps mentioned in one or two sentences. It is understandable, though, IMHO, not correct.
It could also be, without wanting to make any false accusations to the author, that the role Hephaistion played in Alexander's biography (putting aside, for the moment, the difference between the "biography" and "history" of Alexander) was very well known but ignored for obvious reasons.
Like all men of higher social class at that time in ancient Greece, Alexander was bisexual. It was almost the same thing as today men talk about and compare their cars, back then, they simply had male lovers. Hephaistion was Alexander's lover. But he was more than that; he was his closest friend. There was really love between them which was more than the sexual relation common in those times. I'm not going into this any further, because I don't feel the need to. If you want to discuss this, we can open a new thread for it.
Moreover, many important stages of Alexander's life are being left out or compressed, while details of single battles are being emphasized. Some incredibly important events are being left out completely. There is no mention of the massacres at Thebes (Greece), Tyros, the destruction of Persepolis or the march through the Gedrosian desert. There is no mention that the Macedonians were in fact defeated by the Sacans and that there was a bloody and disastrous partisan war in Central Asia. This text does not even mention the fact that Alexander was forced to return home from India by his own troops. No offense, but this biography is not very accurate, to say the least.
The intention of this biography seems to me to be the presentation of Alexander as a hero by leaving out aspects of his personality, such as his bisexuality, which could be interpreted negative by some narrow-minded ones, as well as bluntly ignoring the atrocitiees he has commited. It could occur to someone, that Alexander was more of a criminal than a hero.

[advertisement]My entire view of Alexander can be found on my very own website about him, http://www.alexanderthegreat.de -if you speak German, that is.[/advertisement]

 

[amirsan]

Oh, did I mention this was for an 8th Grade Term paper that required only 5 pages?

I dont think I could have made it that detailed...